The Modern Gnostic Priesthood

The Modern Gnostic Priesthood

The following is written by Tomas Kindahl

It’s either paleo-Gnostic (old Gnostic) Mandaeans tarmidas, like these:

or it is neo-Gnostics (new Gnostics), for example like these guys (Ecclesia Gnostica):

The only surviving paleo-Gnostics are the Mandaeans, they branched from Judaism probably before Jesus. They refer John the Baptist — not Jesus.

The neo-Gnostics are (almost always) Christians that has added some beliefs from what’s considered Valentinian scriptures in the Nag Hammadi library. Among them are a lot of annoying New-Age self-elected prophets. There are many branches among the neo-Gnostics.

There are a lot of pseudo-Gnostics (fake Gnostics) too: the common trait being that they don’t care about the Mandean Scriptures nor the Nag Hammadi scriptures, but instead refer to some self-elected prophet, either Aleister Crowley, or Gurdjieff, or Victor Gomez-Rodrigues (calling himself Samael Aun Weor). They’re not in any way useful.

To be “gnostic” means that you claim to have “secret knowledge;” in other words, knowledge revealed only to you which you are meant to reveal to the world in your own time and your own way.

This is a direct contradiction of ancient Christian belief which says that public revelation - that is, new knowledge revealed by God for all people - ended with the death of the last Apostle, the last person given authority directly by Christ.

Thus, a “gnostic priest” is not a “mystic,” which is a person who studies and lives the depth of the public revelation given to the Church (both in Sacred Tradition and in Scripture), but is simply a person who claims to have knowledge from God that no one else has

These people should be avoided, for the sake of your soul.

Been to that church several times. They consider themselves to be Gnostic-Catholics, which, to be sure, is a contradiction. They borrow a lot from orthodox Christian liturgies (both Roman or Protestant) and remold them to better fit the Gnostic heresy. 

Of course, it’s all anachronistic confusion. 

Ancient gnostics had their own liturgical practices and elaborate rituals. And, of course they were basically corruptions of the Christian liturgies of that time. 

Gnosticism is not Christianity though, no more than Islam is Christianity.

Prophecies about the corruption of the church

Prophecies about the corruption of the church

There are many prophecies in the bible about the the corruption of the church but what do the Gnostic Gospels say

The Acts of Peter and the Twelve Apostles

For many in the churches have shown partiality to the rich, because they also are sinful, and they give occasion for others to sin. But judge them with uprightness, so that your ministry may be glorified, and that my name also, may be glorified in the churches." The disciples answered and said, "Yes, truly this is what is fitting to do."

James 2:4,  My brothers,show no partiality as you hold the faith in our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory. ..(4) have you not shown partiality among yourselves, and become judges with evil thoughts?

On the Origin of the World

And out of envy the authorities mixed their seed with them, in hopes of polluting them. They could not. Then when the blessed beings appeared in luminous form, they appeared in various ways. And each one of them, starting out in his land, revealed his (kind of) knowledge to the visible church constituted of the modelled forms of perdition. It (viz., the church) was found to contain all kinds of seed, because of the seed of the authorities that had mixed with it.

forms of perdition reminds me of 

 2Th 2:3Let no one deceive you by any means; for that Day will not come unless the falling away comes first, and the man of sin is revealed, the son of perdition, 4who opposes and exalts himself above all that is called God or that is worshiped, so that he sits as God in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God.

The Second Treatise of the Great Seth

we were hated and persecuted, not only by those who are ignorant (gentiles, pagans), but also by those who think that they are advancing the name of Christ (so-called Chistians), since they were unknowingly empty, not knowing who they are, like dumb animals. 

revelatin 2:8 “And to the [a]angel of the church in Smyrna write,

‘These things says the First and the Last, who was dead, and came to life: 

9 “I know your works, tribulation, and poverty (but you are rich); and I know the blasphemy of those who say they are Jews and are not, but are a [b]synagogue of Satan. 

10 Do not fear any of those things which you are about to suffer. Indeed, the devil is about to throw some of you into prison, that you may be tested, and you will have tribulation ten days. Be faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life.

The Odes Of Solomon

Ode 38

All the poisons of error, and pains of death which are considered sweetness.
And the corrupting of the Corruptor, I saw when the bride who was corrupting was adorned, and the bridegroom who corrupts and is corrupted.
And I asked the Truth, Who are these? And He said to me: This is the Deceiver and the Error.
And they imitate the Beloved and His Bride, and they cause the world to err and corrupt it.
And they invite many to the wedding feast, and allow them to drink the wine of their intoxication;
So they cause them to vomit up their wisdom and their knowledge, and prepare for them mindlessness.
Then they abandon them; and so they stumble about like mad and corrupted men.
Since there is no understanding in them, neither do they seek it.
But I have been made wise so as not to fall into the hands of the Deceivers, and I myself rejoiced because the Truth had gone with me.


17 Then one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls came and talked with me, saying [a]to me, “Come, I will show you the judgment of the great harlot who sits on many waters, 2 with whom the kings of the earth committed fornication, and the inhabitants of the earth were made drunk with the wine of her fornication.”3 So he carried me away in the Spirit into the wilderness. And I saw a woman sitting on a scarlet beast which was full of names of blasphemy, having seven heads and ten horns. 4 The woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet, and adorned with gold and precious stones and pearls, having in her hand a golden cup full of abominations and the filthiness of [b]her fornication. 5 And on her forehead a name was written:

MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT,
THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS
AND OF THE ABOMINATIONS

OF THE EARTH.
6 I saw the woman, drunk with the blood of the saints and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus. And when I saw her, I marveled with great amazement.

The Gospel of Thomas 

(39) Jesus said, The Pharisees and the scholars have taken the keys of knowledge and have hidden them. They have not entered, nor have they allowed those who want to enter to go inside. You should be shrewd as snakes and innocent as doves.

The Pharisees here are a symbol of all false religion and undoubtedly today the Lord would speak this way of the priests and clergy of orthodox Christianity, the churches have lost the keys. The keys of knowledge are the one true faith and hope of Abraham the promises made to him. Therefore we must have the faith as that of Abraham for those who are of faith are blessed with believing Abraham Gal 3:9 who is the father of us all saying 105 cp. Rom 4:11,12,16. Now his faith and ours is this that the gentiles shall be blessed in him and this promises was made to him before the law and his seed who is the Christ 

39) ## Jesus said, "The Pharisees and the scribes [who are still operating today through the Triple Crown Power controlled by the Vatican] have taken the keys of Knowledge [the higher/inward (spiritual) meaning of the scriptures] and hidden them [behind the fleshly locks of earthly types and images]. They themselves have not entered [in their depraved condition and deceptive practices they have shut themselves out of the Kingdom], nor have they allowed to enter those who wish to [these have become "wolves in sheep's clothing" who subvert the knowledge of truth that they may continue to "lord it over you" for the glory of men]. #You, however, be as wise as serpents [the Pharisees and scribes (Mat 23:33, 12:34 etc.. we must be aware that the devil will use many deceptions and tricks through your own flesh and the people around you to find ways "to accuse you day and night before the Father"] and as innocent as doves [we are to take great care not to harm anyone, even "those who hate you and despitefully use you" for they are all your brothers and some are there for the sole purpose of the Elect (doves/peacemakers) that they may be tested and refined in the Way]." 

saying 40 Jesus said, "A grapevine has been planted outside the father. And because it is not sound, it will be plucked out by the root and will perish."


But what orthodox churches of Christianity called the error was planted outside of the father’s wises in the days of the apostles and Paul also tells us that wolfs will come in and destroy the truth and this evenly gave birth to the man of lawlessness when Constine removed that which was holding it back.. This grapevine cannot bear fruit (everlasting life) and those in it are already dead not knowing the knowledge of the truth that brings everlasting life. 

40)# Jesus said, "A grapevine [religion] has been planted outside of the Father, but being unsound [in health being rooted in the depraved imaginations of men], it will be pulled up by its roots [that it has no chance to come back] and destroyed [by Jesus the true vine (Jn. 15:1)]."

(102) Jesus said, Shame on the Pharisees.[today, the Churches that spread the wrong message to gain power and profit for themselves like most Churches that call themselves 'Catholic', 'Christian' or 'Evangelic', Mormons] They are like a dog sleeping in the cattle manger. It does not eat or let the cattle eat. [They will spiritually starve, because instead of drinking from Jesus Christ's mouth, they spread lies either because they have their own agenda or they simply just don't see the truth and don't let their 'believers' drink from Jesus Christ's words either]."

102) Jesus said, "Woe to the Pharisees [who hid the Key of Knowledge], for they are like a dog [unclean animal] sleeping [spiritually dead in law] in the manger [where the animals (beasts) food is kept] of oxen [the Laity who are to tread out the corn (the Word of God)], for neither does he eat ["if anyone is not willing to work, neither let him eat"] nor does he let the oxen eat [the Laity are always discouraged or kept from doing so by religious leaders who love to "lord it over them"]."




In The Gospel of Judas we can we the corruption of the church


THE GOSPEL OF JUDAS
THE DISCIPLES SEE THE TEMPLE AND DISCUSS IT

They [said, “We have seen] a great [house (Ezekiel 8:6) with a large] altar [in it, and] twelve men (Ezekiel 8:11,16)— they are the priests, we would say—and a name; and a crowd of people is waiting at that altar, [until] the priests [… and receive] the offerings. [But] we kept waiting.” [Jesus said], “What are [the priests] like?” They [said, “Some …] two weeks; [some] sacrifice their own children, others their wives, in praise [and] humility with each other; some sleep with men; some are involved in [slaughter]; some commit a multitude of sins and deeds of lawlessness. And the men who stand [before] the altar invoke your [name], [39] and in all the deeds of their deficiency, the sacrifices are brought to completion […].” After they said this, they were quiet, for they were troubled.

JESUS OFFERS AN ALLEGORICAL INTERPRETATION OF THE VISION OF THE TEMPLE

Jesus said to them, “Why are you troubled? Truly I say to you, all the priests who stand before that altar invoke my name. Again I say to you, my name has been written on this […] of the generations of the stars through the human generations. [And they] have planted trees without fruit, in my name, in a shameful manner.” Jesus said to them, “Those you have seen receiving the offerings at the altar—that is who you are. That is the god you serve, (2 Thess 2:3,4) and you are those twelve men you have seen. The cattle you have seen brought for sacrifice are the many people you lead astray [40] before that altar. […] will stand and make use of my name in this way, and generations of the pious will remain loyal to him. After him another man will stand there from [the fornicators], and another [will] stand there from the slayers of children, and another from those who sleep with men, and those who abstain, and the rest of the people of pollution and lawlessness and error, and those who say, ‘We are like angels’; they are the stars that bring everything to its conclusion. For to the human generations it has been said, ‘Look, God has received your sacrifice from the hands of a priest’—that is, a minister of error. But it is the Lord, the Lord of the universe, who commands, ‘On the last day they will be put to shame.’” [41] Jesus said [to them], “Stop sac[rificing …] which you have […] over the altar, since they are over your stars and your angels and have already come to their conclusion there. So let them be [ensnared] before you, and let them go [—about 15 lines missing—] generations […]. A baker cannot feed all creation [42] under [heaven]. And […] to them […] and […] to us and […]. Jesus said to them, “Stop struggling with me. Each of you has his own star, (Jude 13) and every[body—about 17 lines missing—] [43] in […] who has come [… spring] for the tree […] of this aeon […] for a time […] but he has come to water God’s paradise, and the [generation] that will last, because [he] will not defile the [walk of life of] that generation, but […] for all eternity.”

what the disciples have seen in Jerusalem is interpreted as a foreshadowing of the emerging Catholic church

The vision of the temple and twelve priests should first be understood from an historical point of view.The Gospel of Judas challenges the idea that God wants people to die as martyrs—just as it challenges the idea that God wanted Jesus to die. Whoever wrote this gospel—and the author is anonymous—is challenging church leaders who teach that.

The Testimony of Truth

The foolish - thinking in their heart that if they confess, "We are Christians," in word only (but) not with power, while giving themselves over to ignorance, to a human death, not knowing where they are going nor who Christ is, thinking that they will live, when they are (really) in error - hasten towards the principalities and authorities. They fall into their clutches because of the ignorance that is in them. For (if) only words which bear testimony were effecting salvation, the whole world would endure this thing and would be saved. But it is in this way that they drew error to themselves. ...
... (3 lines unrecoverable)
... they do not know that they will destroy themselves. If the Father were to desire a human sacrifice, he would become vainglorious.

For the Son of Man clothed himself with their first-fruits; he went down to Hades and performed many mighty works. He raised the dead therein; and the world-rulers of darkness became envious of him, for they did not find sin in him. But he also destroyed their works from among men, so that the lame, the blind, the paralytic, the dumb, (and) the demon-possessed were granted healing. And he walked upon the waters of the sea. For this reason he destroyed his flesh from [...] which he [...]. And he became [...] salvation [...] his death ...
... (4 lines unrecoverable)
... everyone [...] how many they are! They are blind guides, like the disciples. They boarded the ship; at about thirty stadies, they saw Jesus walking on the sea. These are empty martyrs, since they bear witness only to themselves. And yet they are sick, and they are not able to raise themselves.

But when they are "perfected" with a (martyr's) death, this is the thought that they have within them: "If we deliver ourselves over to death for the sake of the Name we will be saved." These matters are not settled in this way. But through the agency of the wandering stars they say they have "completed" their futile "course", and [...] say, [...]. But these [...] they have delivered themselves ...
... (7 lines unrecoverable)


... but they resemble [...] them. They do not have the word which gives life. (The Testimony of Truth)

Gnostic Teaching On the Soul The Nag Hammadi Library

Christian Gnostic teaching of the Soul The Nag Hammadi Library

What is the Soul?

In the Bible there are two words for Soul the Hebrew term נפש‎ nefesh and the Greek word ψυχή, psuché both words mean to breath

The Soul refers to the breathing frame (respiratory system) the seat of which is in the blood Lev 17:11

Genesis 9:4 Only flesh with its soul—its blood—YOU must not eat

Lev 17:11 For the soul of the flesh is in the blood, and I myself have put it upon the altar for YOU to make atonement for YOUR souls, because it is the blood that makes atonement by the soul [in it]

The statement of this verse is literally true, for the bloodstream is the bearer of life throughout the body: a teaching of the Bible which science has confirmed.
Blood was prohibited as an article of diet because it represented the life of the body which should be given up to God exclusively, as it is by self-sacrifice.

Both Humans and Animals are souls

Genesis 2:7 And Jehovah God proceeded to form the man out of dust from the ground and to blow into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man came to be a living soul

Genesis 1:24 And God went on to say: “Let the earth put forth living souls according to their kinds, domestic animal and moving animal and wild beast of the earth according to its kind.” And it came to be so.

Genesis 1:30 And to every wild beast of the earth and to every flying creature of the heavens and to everything moving upon the earth in which there is life as a soul I have given all green vegetation for food.” And it came to be so

Genesis 2:19 Now Jehovah God was forming from the ground every wild beast of the field and every flying creature of the heavens, and he began bringing them to the man to see what he would call each one; and whatever the man would call it, each living soul, that was its name

All living creatures are living souls both "Man and beasts... they have all ONE spirit (Ecclesiastes 3:19-21)

Young's Literal Translation

For an event is to the sons of man, and an event is to the beasts, even one event is to them; as the death of this, so is the death of that; and one spirit is to all, and the advantage of man above the beast is nothing, for the whole is vanity.

The Bible also speaks about dead souls

“Soul” in the New Testament

The word translated “Soul” in the NT is the Greek word “Psuche”, which occurs 106 times and is translated variously “Soul” (58 times), “life” 40 times, mind 3 times.

The word is used 45 times in contexts where it is evident that it is subject to death. For example:

James 5:20 “.. he which converteth a sinner … saveth a soul from death”

Acts 3:23 “.. every soul that will not hear that prophet shall be destroyed..”

1cor 15:44 It is sown a body of the soul (literally in Greek - a soulical body) , it is raised a body of the spirit; if there is a body of the soul, there is also of the spirit:—
45 Thus, also, it is written—The first man, Adam, became, a living soul, the last Adam, a life-giving spirit.
46 Howbeit, not first, is the [body] of the spirit, but that, of the soul,—afterwards, that of the spirit. (Rotherham's Emphasized Bible)

The body of the soul is the natural body

A soul is a physical body.

Genesis 2:7 And Yahweh Elohim proceeded to form the man out of dust from the ground [he made the body] and to blow into his nostrils the breath of life [he put a spirit in the body], and the man came to be a living soul [body + spirit = living soul] (Genesis 2).

Spirit is a character, a personality. It is 'you'.

The soul is therefore the life carrying vehicle. Now the life, your life, you, is the spirit. We are spirits, our characters are spirits.

The soul (body) is the vehicle for the spirit.

The spirit is your character, it is 'you'. Things get confusing when one realises that spirit also represents your character as well as being the spirit of the Deity. 

A living human is a spirit within a physical body

Human Person = Spirit + Physical Body = Soul (human)
Corpse = Physical Body with no Spirit = Dead Soul (human)

psuchikos Psychical psychic – "soulful", Matter-dwelling spirits

The soul belongs to the “material” realm and is part of the flesh. Leviticus 17:11

The body is the whole being. In death, there is no separation of body and soul. The soul is as mortal as the body.

The Soul in Early Church teaching

Then I answered, "I am not so miserable a fellow, Trypho, as to say one thing and think another. I admitted to you formerly, that I and many others are of this opinion, and [believe] that such will take place, as you assuredly are aware; but, on the other hand, I signified to you that many who belong to the pure and pious faith, and are true Christians, think otherwise. Moreover, I pointed out to you that some who are called Christians, but are godless, impious heretics, teach doctrines that are in every way blasphemous, atheistical, and foolish. But that you may know that I do not say this before you alone, I shall draw up a statement, so far as I can, of all the arguments which have passed between us; in which I shall record myself as admitting the very same things which I admit to you. For I choose to follow not men or men's doctrines, but God and the doctrines [delivered] by Him. For if you have fallen in with some who are called Christians, but who do not admit this [truth], and venture to blaspheme the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob; who say there is no resurrection of the dead, and that their souls, when they die, are taken to heaven; do not imagine that they are Christians, even as one, if he would rightly consider it, would not admit that the Sadducees, or similar sects of Genist , Meristae,Gelilaeans, Hellenists, Pharisees, Baptists, are Jews (do not hear me impatiently when I tell you what I think), but are[only] called Jews and children of Abraham, worshipping God with the lips, as God Himself declared, but the heart was far from Him. But I and others, who are right-minded Christians on all points, are assured that there will be a resurrection of the dead, and a thousand years in Jerusalem, which will then be built, adorned, and enlarged, the prophets Ezekiel and Isaiah and others declare. (Justin Martyr: Dialogue with Trypho Chapter 80)

The “traditional view” today, the view most common among Conservative and Protestant Christians, is not in fact the view held by most of the Fathers of the Church.

The concept of the immortality of the soul comes from Greek philosophy it is not an idea found in Jewish-Christian scriptures known as the Holy Bible

Christian Gnostic understanding of the soul

According to April D. DeConick in her book The Gnostic New Age "most Gnostics thought that the psyche, or soul, was mortal." page 21

According to most Gnostics, the soul is not immortal, as Plato thought. Rather, it is mortal, just like the physical body, and will not endure. (The Gnostic New Age P. 212 April D. DeConick

The Soul is Female

Wise men of old gave the soul a feminine name. Indeed she is female in her nature as well. She even has her womb. (The Exegesis on the Soul)

The text from the Nag Hammadi Library The Exegesis on the Soul says "Wise men of old gave the soul a feminine name."

This is true because the word soul is a Feminine Noun, in Hebrew, Greek and Coptic.

Next the text says "Indeed she is female in her nature as well. She even has her womb."

If we compare this with the Letter of James from the Bible we can see that nothing good is born of the soul:

James 3:15 This wisdom is not one, from above, coming down, but is earthly, born of the soul, demoniacal! (Rotherham's Emphasized Bible)

Philo: Now the female offspring of the soul are wickedness and passion, by which we are made effeminate in every one of our pursuits; but a healthy state of the passions and virtue is male, by which we are excited and invigorated.

The Psychic Aeon 

Next the psychic aeon. It is a small one, which is mixed with bodies, by begetting in the souls (and) defiling (them). For the first defilement of the creation found strength. And it begot every work: many works of wrath, anger, envy, malice, hatred, slander, contempt and war, lying and evil counsels, sorrows and pleasures, basenesses and defilements, falsehoods and diseases, evil judgments that they decree according to their desires. (The Concept of Our Great Power, The Nag Hammadi Library)

The soul-endowed aeon is the human race after the flood. This aeon will remain in place until the final consummation

The defilement of the soul is by begetting negative emotions see James 3:15 as quoted above and Psalm 7:14

Psalm 7:14, ESV: Behold, the wicked man conceives evil and is pregnant with mischief and gives birth to lies

The Origin of the Soul

Do the Gnostic texts speak about the the origin of the soul?

Yes the gospel of Philip and the Extracts from the Works of Theodotus describe the creation of the soul:

50 “Taking dust from the earth”: not of the land but a portion of matter but of varied constitution and colour, he fashioned a soul, earthly and material, irrational and consubstantial with that of the beasts. (Extracts from the Works of Theodotus)

The soul of Adam came into being by means of a breath, the partner of his soul is the spirit, and the spirit given to him is his mother. (Gospel of Philip).

Is there a distinction between soul and spirit?

Yes like the Bible the Gnostic texts or apocryphal gospels make a distinction between soul and spirit

Then Peter answered, “Look, three times you have told us, ‘Be filled,’ but we are filled.”
The savior answered and said, “For this reason I have told you, ‘Be filled,’ that you may not lack. Those who lack will not be saved. To be filled is good and to lack is bad. Yet since it is also good for you to lack but bad for you to be filled, whoever is filled also lacks. One who lacks is not filled in the way another who lacks is filled, but whoever is filled is brought to an appropriate end. So you should lack when you can fill yourselves and be filled when you lack, that you may be able to fill yourselves more. Be filled with spirit but lack in reason, for reason is of the soul. It is soul.” (The Apocryphon of James)

The Soul is the body

According to the Extracts from the Works of Theodotus found in the works of Clement of Alexandria, the "soul is a body" (Extract 14) it was created from "dust from the earth" with which "he fashioned a soul, earthly and material" (Extract 50) Therefore according to Valentinian Christians he soul is a natural or physical body:

14 The demons are said to be incorporeal, not because they have no bodies (for they have even shape and are, therefore, capable of feeling punishment), but they are said to be incorporeal because, in comparison with the spiritual bodies which are saved, they are a shade. And the angels are bodies; at any rate they are seen. Why even the soul is a body, for the Apostle says, "It is sown a body of soul, it is raised a body of spirit." (1cor 15:44) And how can the souls which are being punished be sensible of it, if they are not bodies? Certainly he says, "Fear him who, after death, is able to cast soul and body into hell." () Now that which is visible is not purged by fire, but is dissolved into dust. (Extracts from the Works of Theodotus)

Here the Extracts from the Works of Theodotus is quoting from 1 Corinthians 15:44 this is to show the soul is a body notice it says "is a body" not "has a body"

Also the Extracts from the Works of Theodotus shows that the soul can be destroyed in Gehenna

The Psychic One

Psychic from the Greek psuchikos: natural, of the soul or mind
Original Word: ψυχικός, ή, όν
Part of Speech: Adjective
Transliteration: psuchikos
Phonetic Spelling: (psoo-khee-kos')
Definition: natural, of the soul or mind
Usage: animal, natural, sensuous.

And the natural man doth not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for to him they are foolishness, and he is not able to know them, because spiritually they are discerned; (1 Corinthians 2:14,)

Natural.--That is, literally, that part of our nature which we call "mind,"

People who have not been initiated are called by Paul “psychics,” people who have only their own psyches or souls but not yet God’s Spirit. Because God’s Spirit has not united with their own spirits, these people are unable to receive gnosis (1 Corinthians 2:14, 15:34).

In the Sethian book the Apocryphon of John, we learn that the soul parts are given by each of the planetary rulers, including the soul’s bone, sinew, flesh, marrow, blood, skin, and hair. Each of these soul parts is aligned with a psychic capacity [Mind], such as goodness, intention, piety, tyranny, domination, envy, or wisdom (Apocryphon of John, Nag Hammadi codices [NHC] II.1 11.23–12.25, 15.14–24; compare with Apocryphon of John in Berlin Codex 2 48.11–50.2). (The Gnostic New Age, April D. DeConick)

59 First, then, he put on a seed from the Mother, not being separated but containing it by power, and it is given form little by little through knowledge. And when he came into Space Jesus found Christ, whom it was foretold that he would put on, whom the Prophets and the Law announced as an image of the Saviour. But even this psychic Christ whom he put on, was invisible, and it was necessary for him when he came into the world to be seen here, to be held, to be a citizen, and to hold on to a sensible body. A body, therefore, was spun for him out of invisible psychic substance, and arrived in the world of sense with power from a divine preparation. (Extracts from the Works of Theodotus)

60 Therefore, “Holy Spirit shall come upon thee” refers to the formation of the Lord's body, “and a Power of the Most High shall overshadow thee” indicates the formation of God with which he imprinted the body in the Virgin. (Extracts from the Works of Theodotus)

Theodotus understood the incarnation to be a kind of ensoulment of God’s mind in matter, when the Logos descended into the flesh at Jesus’ birth and became Jesus’ psyche or soul. So Theodotus understood that Jesus came into being not through the water baptism only, but through the blood of birth too (1 John 5:6;)

Remember the soul of the flesh is in the blood Levit 17:11

The Soul is Temporary

Some Gnostic texts text speak about the death of the soul

- For he knows the desire, and also what it is that the flesh needs! - (Or do you think) that it is not this (flesh) that desires the soul? For without the soul, the body does not sin, just as the soul is not saved without the spirit. But if the soul is saved (when it is) without evil, and the spirit is also saved, then the body becomes free from sin. For it is the spirit that raises the soul, but the body that kills it; that is, it is it (the soul) which kills itself. (The Apocryphon of James)

Here the soul is equivalent in value or interdependent with the flesh and the body the soul needs to be saved from death as the text says “it is it (the soul) which kills itself”

The Treatise of the Resurrection:
"From the savior we radiate beams, and we are held in his arms until our own sunset, our death in this life. We are drawn to heaven by him, like beams, by the sun, and nothing holds us down. This is the resurrection of the spirit, which swallows up the soul and the flesh."

Tripartite Tractate:
"They became flesh and soul, that is, eternally which (things) hold them and with corruptible things they die. "

The Gospel of Philip:
"Adam’s soul came from a breath. The soul’s companion is spirit, and the spirit given to him is his mother. His soul was [taken] from him and replaced with [spirit]. "

Apocalypse of Peter:
`For evil cannot produce good fruit. For the place from which each of them is produces that which is like itself; for not every soul is of the truth, nor of immortality. For every soul of these ages has death assigned to it in our view, because it is always a slave, since it is created for its desires and their eternal destruction, in which they are and from which they are. They love the creatures of the matter which came forth with them.`

In this text there are mortal souls of this age and immortal souls in the age to come

Apoc of Adam

`But we have done every deed of the powers senselessly. We have boasted in the transgression of all our works. We have cried against the God of truth because all his works [...] is eternal. These are against our spirits. For now we have known that our souls will die the death.`

Here the soul needs to be redeem from death if the soul is immortal how can it die?

Heracleon was a Valentinian Gnostic in his Commentary on the Gospel of John he rejects the doctrine of the immortal soul

Fragment 40, on John 4:46-53 (In John 4:46, “So he came again to Cana in Galilee, where he had made the water wine. And at Capernaum there was an official whose child was ill.) The official was the Craftsman, for he himself ruled like a king over those under him. Because his domain is small and transitory, he was called an “official,” like a petty princeling who is set over a small kingdom by the universal king. The “child” “in Capernaun” is one who is in the lower part of the Middle (i.e. of animate substance), which lies near the sea, that is, which is linked with matter. The child’s proper person was sick, that is, in a condition not in accordance with the child’s proper nature, in ignorance and sins. (In John 4:47, “When he heard that Jesus had come from Judea to Galilee, he went and begged him to come down and heal his child , for it was at the point of death.”) The words “from Judea to Galilee” mean ‘from the Judea above.’. . . By the words “it was at the point of death,” the teaching of those who claim that the soul is immortal is refuted. In agreement with this is the statement that “the body and soul are destoyed in Hell.” (Matthew 10:28) The soul is not immortal, but is possessed only of a disposition towards salvation, for it is the perishable which puts on imperishability and the mortal which puts on immortality when “its death is swallowed up in victory.” (1 Corinthians 15:54) [Heracleon: Fragments from his Commentary on the Gospel of John]

both canonical and gnostic text support the teaching that the soul is temporary.

The true doctrine of immortality.

What is the resurrection? It is the revelation of those who have risen. If you remember reading in the gospel that Elijah appeared and Moses with him, do not suppose that the resurrection is an illusion. It is no illusion. It is truth. It is more proper to say that the world is illusion, rather than the resurrection that is because of our lord the savior, Jesus the Christ.

And I also disagree with others who say that the flesh will not arise. Both views are wrong. You say that the flesh will not arise? Then tell me what will arise, so we may salute you. You say it is the spirit in the flesh, and also the light in the flesh? But what is in the flesh is the word, and what you are talking about is nothing other than flesh. It is necessary to arise in this sort of flesh, since everything exists in it.

The Mother Church is Jerusalem not Rome Acts 15

The Mother Church is Jerusalem not Rome Acts 15

In Christianity, a mother church is the church "considered as a mother in its functions of nourishing and protecting the believer"

a mother-church, is sometimes taken for an original church planted immediately by the Apostles, whence others were derived and afterwards spread. And in this sense the Church of Jerusalem is called 'the mother-church of all churches in the world.'"

It was in Jerusalem that the Church was established on the day of Pentecost with the descent of the Holy Spirit on the disciples of Jesus Christ (Acts 2:1-41) and the Gospel of Christ spread from Jerusalem.

Beginning in Jerusalem, the gospel creates ever-widening circles in the world, just as a stone sends out ripples in a pond.

In the first and second century, Christianity consisted of an unknown number of local Churches that in the initial years looked to Jerusalem as its main centre and point of reference

When disproving that Peter is "the first pope" it is customary to turn to Acts 15, where it is stated that James (the Lord's half-brother) was clearly the chief spokesman for the ecclesia at Jerusalem; not Peter. In ch. 8:14 there is equally indisputable proof in regard to the question. Use of the terms "the apostles" and "they" are clear indicators that Peter possessed no supremacy over his fellow apostles. The decision to send Peter and John to Samaria was the result of a consensus discussion among all the apostles. Had Peter held any special authority over his fellows, he would either have elected to travel himself, or would have ruled as to who should be deputed in his place. No such thing occurred. The situation was similar to that recorded in ch. 6:2, "Then the twelve called the multitude of the disciples unto them, and said..." This is now the sixth time that the names of Peter and John are linked together in their work in the Truth. This is the last time that John's name is mentioned in the book of Acts.


Eusebius provides the names of an unbroken succession of thirty-six Bishops of Jerusalem up to the year 324. The first sixteen of these bishops were Jewish—from James the Just to Judas († 135)—and the remainder were Gentiles

Jerusalem was the first center of the church, according to the Book of Acts, and the location of "the first Christian church". The apostles lived and taught there for some time after Pentecost. Jesus' brother James was a leader in the church, and his other kinsman likely held leadership positions in the surrounding area after the destruction of the city
The apostles had a regular meeting place in Jerusalem, an upstairs room where they usually stayed (verse 13: τὸ ὑπερῷον; cf. Acts 9:37,39; 20:8).

The bishop’s seat, the symbol of James’ position as leader, was an object of interest, right up to Eusebius’ day. It is clear that in the first centuries of church history, the Holy See was not in Rome, but in Jerusalem: 

Now the throne of James, who was the first to receive from the Saviour and the apostles the the office of a bishop of the church at Jerusalem, who also, as the divine books show, was called a brother of Christ, has been preserved to this day; and by the honour that the brethren in succession there pay to it, they show clearly to all the reverence in which the holy men were and still are held by the men of old time and those of our day, because of the love shown them by God (Eusebius, Ecclesiastical History VII 19

Jesus is the Pleroma! The Letter of Peter to Philip The Nag Hammadi library

Jesus is the Pleroma? The Letter of Peter to Philip The Nag Hammadi library

Concerning the fullness, it is I.  I (the christ) was sent down in the body (of Jesus) for the seed that had fallen away. And I came down to their mortal model. But they did not recognize me, thinking I was a mortal. I spoke with the one who is mine, and the one who is mine listened to me just as you also who have listened to me today. And I gave him authority to enter into the inheritance of his fatherhood. And I took him the one who is mine up to my Father. They the Aeons were brought to completion filled with rest through his salvation. Since he was deficiency, he became fullness. The Letter of Peter to Philip (Nag Hammadi Codex VIII, 2)

Here in the The Letter of Peter to Philip Jesus speaks of himself as the  pleroma or the fullness "Concerning the fullness, it is I." However this is the Logos or anointing spirit the Christ speaking through Jesus.

Col 1:19 For it pleased the Father that for all fullness to dwell in him;

Col 2:9 because it is in him that all the fullness of the divine nature dwells bodily.

10  That in the dispensation of the fulness of times he might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven, and which are on earth; even in him:
11  In whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will:

11 And he gave some as apostles, some as prophets, some as evangelizers, some as shepherds and teachers, 12 with a view to the readjustment of the holy ones, for ministerial work, for the building up of the body of the Christ, 13 until we all attain to the oneness in the faith and in the accurate knowledge of the Son of God, to a full-grown man, to the measure of stature that belongs to the fullness of the Christ

2 Peter 1:4 ►

Berean Study Bible

Through these He has given us His precious and magnificent promises, so that through them you may become partakers of the divine nature, now that you have escaped the corruption in the world caused by evil desires.


Hebrews 3:14 ►

New American Standard Bible

For we have become partakers of Christ, if we hold fast the beginning of our assurance firm until the end,


Your blessings shows that you are a "Partaker" now you must be a Partaker of the "FULLNESS" of Christ, the fullness of Christ = the "HARVEST" the seed is the word of God inside of you and when that seed is fully grown you become what the seed truly is, and you are ready to be harvested.


you get it?............................

The Lord Jesus has now been exalted to Heaven, and shares God’s nature. This verse refers to how Jesus is now, after His resurrection, and not how He was during His mortal life on earth


“All the fullness”

The Greek word for "fullness" is pleroma - the same word is also found in Col. 1:19, regarding how all God’s “fullness” dwelt in Jesus. Although the Lord Jesus had human nature, He never sinned; and thus was full of the God’s personality and character. To know Jesus was to know God- for He was and is God’s Son, and indeed the perfect replica of Him in human form.


The fullness which is Christ’s- and His “fullness” is God’s fullness- is shared with us: “Of His fullness have all we received” (Jn. 1:16). In this sense the church, as the body of Christ, is “the fullness of Him that fills all in all” (Eph. 1:23; 4:13). Through knowing Christ, the believers are therefore “filled with all the fullness of God” (Eph. 3:19). So the fact that Jesus had “all the fullness of God” doesn’t make Him "God" Himself in person; because we will not become God Himself in person because we are filled with God’s fullness; any more than a son is his father. In the same way as Christ’s body after His resurrection was filled with the Spirit and nature of God- so will ours be (1 Cor. 15:49; Phil. 3:20,21).

Fulness - "pleroma" - MA full measure11. (10) For NThe Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his G1 ory, the Glory as of the only begotten of the Father), Full of grace and truth.11 (Jn. 1:14) When Moses asked God to show him His Glory, God said He would make all His goodness pass before Moses and He would proclaim His Name. (Ex. 33:18,19) "And the LORD passed before him, and proclaimed, The LORD, the LORD God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abundant in goodness and truth." (Ex. 34:6) Jesus is filled with these divine attributes. He is "an eradiated brightness of His (God's) glory and an exact representation of his very being". (Heb. 1:3 Rhm) Therefore Jesus could say, "he that hath seen me hath seen the Father". (Jn. 14:9)

The implication here, seems to be that those who listen to the word of Christ and are his own will also obtain the joy and fullness of the divine. Like Christ they will become fullness

Joh 1:16 For we all received from out of his fullness, even grace upon grace.

Eph 1:22 He also subjected all things under his feet, and made him head over all things to the church, 23 which is his body, the fullness of him who fills up all things in all..

Eph 3:19 and to know the love of the Christ which surpasses knowledge, that YOU may be filled with all the fullness of the Deity.

Eph 4:13 until we all attain to the oneness in the faith and in the accurate knowledge of the Son of God, to a full-grown man, to the measure of stature that belongs to the fullness of the Christ

Col 1:19 For it pleased the Father that for all fullness to dwell in him;

Col 2:9 because it is in him that all the fullness of the divine nature dwells bodily.

The fullness belongs to the Deity he has shared it with Jesus and us

Since Jesus is dwelling within us it is reasonable to assume that the fullness is to be found within us as well. This will take place in two stages the first is to manifest Jesus' character which we call the Christ consciousness. and the second stage takes place in the summer which we call the other aeon or the age to come

Eph 3:19 and to know the love of the Christ which surpasses knowledge, that YOU may be filled with all the fullness of the Deity.

We like Jesus are to be filled with God fullness

2Peter 1:4 Through these things he has freely given us the precious and very grand promises, that through these YOU may become sharers in divine nature, having escaped from the corruption that is in the world through lust.

we will share God's divine nature

2Th 2:14 He called you to this through the good news we declare, so that you may acquire the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.

We shall share Jesus' glory

John 17:20 “I do not pray for these alone, but also for those who will[a] believe in Me through their word;

21 that they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that You sent Me.

22 And the glory which You gave Me I have given them, that they may be one just as We are one:

23 I in them, and You in Me; that they may be made perfect in one, and that the world may know that You have sent Me, and have loved them as You have loved Me.

We are to be made perfect in one Christ in us and the Father in Christ

in the Age to come we shall be one with God by sharing his divine nature and being filled with his fullness

It is not "One God in three Gods," and "Three Gods in One;" but one Deity in a countless multitude revealed in the memorial name, and give an account of in the mystery of godliness

One in many and many in One, One Deity who is all in all

The Deity is Androgynous! Genesis 1:27

God is Androgynous! Genesis 1-27

The Deity is Androgynous! Genesis 1:27

Thus the logos of the Father goes forth into the All, being the fruit of his heart and expression of his will. It supports the All. It chooses and also takes the form of the All, purifying it, and causing it to return to the Father and to the Mother, Jesus of the utmost sweetness. The Gospel of Truth

God is Androgynous!

But what Does Androgynous Mean?

Being both male and female;
Having both masculine and feminine characteristics.
Having an ambiguous sexual identity.
Neither clearly masculine nor clearly feminine in appearance.-

In other posts I have shown that the holy spirit is a Feminine Aspect of God. Spirit in Hebrew is a feminine noun; but in Greek, neuter. The Holy Spirit is often associated with women’s functions: the birthing process (Jn. 3:5; cf. Jn. 1:13, 1 Jn. 4:7b, 5:1, 4, 18), consoling, comforting, an prophitc groaning in travail of childbirth, emotional warmth, and inspiration.

In this post I will show that God is Androgynous

Consider this: it is only when BOTH man and woman are created in Genesis 1 that God is fully portrayed:

“So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them” – Genesis 1:27

In fact, the first time we see God declaring something to be “not good” is when Adam finds himself alone in the Garden:

“Then Yahweh Elohim said, “It is not good that a man should be alone: I will make him a helper fit for him.” – Genesis 2:18

Why did God need to create BOTH genders before mankind fully displayed the image of God? One reason is that this is an allegory of Christ and the church especially when man and woman come together as “one flesh” we see the mystical body of Christ (Genesis 2:24).

Female images for God (drawn from women’s biological activity)

a mother who does not forget the child she nurses (Isa. 49:14-15)

a mother who comforts her children (Isa. 66:12-13) Isaiah 66:12-13

a mother who births and protects Israel (Isa. 46:3-4).

In Isaiah 46:3 God says, "Listen to Me, O house of Jacob, and all the remnant of the house of Israel, you who have been borne by Me from birth and have been carried from My womb."

a mother who gave birth to the Israelites (Dt. 32:18)

You have forgotten the Rock who fathered you, and put out of mind the God who gave you birth.

God has feminine attributes as well as masculine.

God has manifested himself to be both Father and Mother so that we might be more aware of God’s constant presence and willingness to assist us

Later in Isaiah, God says to His people: "Can a mother forget the baby at her breast and have no compassion on the child she has borne? Though she may forget, I will not forget you!" (Isaiah 49:15).

"God did not satisfy himself with proposing the example of a father, but in order to express his very strong affection, he chose to liken himself to a mother, and calls His people not merely children, but the fruit of the womb,

Likewise, when we think of God’s love for those who are reconciled to him in Jesus, we not only think of a strong, protective and wise father, but we can also take comfort in his tender, nurturing, kindness and care seen most beautifully in a mother’s love for her child. What a dynamic God we worship

We Are Genetically related to GOD 2 Peter 1:4

We Are Genetically related to GOD 2 Peter 1:4

Believers who are born again become “genetically” related to GOD as sons and daughters. They are not just “adopted,” but true members of God’s family by rebirth in contact with the word or Gospel of the Kingdom:

John 1.12 "As many, however, as did accept him, to these he gave the right to become children of God — namely the ones believing in his Gospel revelation."

the genetic connection is explains by believers been sharers of divine nature we become consubstantial with the Father see Jn 17:19-23 NKJ 2Pet 1:4 2 Thessalonians 2:14 Ephesians 3:1

they will be spirit, because "that which is born of the spirit is spirit." He, the Spirit, the EL, or Power of the universe, self-styled YAHWEH, is their Divine Father. His nature will be theirs; so that they will be consubstantial with Him, as all children are consubstantial with their parents. The Deity will then be manifested in the Sons of Deity; He in them, and they in Him, by the one spirit. And this company of sons, led to glory by the captain of their salvation, is "the ONE who shall be," or "the ONE YAHWEH."

Col 2:9 For in him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily.

All the fullness of the Godhead dwells in Jesus bodily and it will also dwell within us has well:

Eph 3:19 and to know the love of the Christ which surpasses knowledge, that YOU may be filled with all the fullness of the Deity.

We like Jesus are to be filled with God fullness

2Peter 1:4 Through these things he has freely given us the precious and very grand promises, that through these YOU may become sharers in divine nature, having escaped from the corruption that is in the world through lust.

we will share God's divine nature

2Th 2:14 He called you to this through the good news we declare, so that you may acquire the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.

We shall share Jesus' glory

John 17:20 “I do not pray for these alone, but also for those who will[a] believe in Me through their word;
21 that they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that You sent Me.
22 And the glory which You gave Me I have given them, that they may be one just as We are one:

23 I in them, and You in Me; that they may be made perfect in one, and that the world may know that You have sent Me, and have loved them as You have loved Me.

In John 17 we are told that we are to be made perfect in one Christ in us and the Father in Christ

in the Age to come we shall be one with God by sharing his divine nature and being filled with his fullness.

So within the Godhead there is the Father, the son and the church. There are not 3 Gods in the Godhead; nor are there but 3 in manifestation; nevertheless, the Father is God and Jesus is God; and we may add, so are all the brethren of Jesus gods and "a multitude which no man can number." They are a manifold unit - One in many, and many in one. The Supreme Power, or Deity, is the source, fountain, or sole spring of Power. The Godhead is the fountain of the Deity; these other gods are the many streams which form this fountain flow. The springhead of Deity is one, not many; the streams are as numerous as the stars of the universe, in which a manifestation of Deity has a occurred.

Another way to look at this is to see The Godhead as the house of the Deity; these other gods or elohim are the many Members which form the house or family unit.

House does not always mean a building but it can mean the family

be quiet before you wake the whole house

So the Godhead is the family of the Deity made up of God being both Father-Mother than the son and the wife of the son the Church.

This is the multitudinous manifestation of the one Deity - one in many, and many in one, by His spirit. It is not "One God in three Gods," and "Three Gods in One;" but one Deity in a countless multitude revealed in the memorial name, and give an account of in the mystery of godliness.

The Father the son and the church God's family

The Communion of the Holy Spirit 2Corinthians 13:14

The Communion of the Holy Spirit 2Cor 13:14

2Cor 6:14 Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness?

2Cor 13:14 The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Ghost, be with you all. Amen. «

"And still others of them who suffer think that they will perfect the wisdom of the brotherhood which really exists, which is the spiritual fellowship of those united in communion, through which the wedding of incorruptibility shall be revealed. (The Apocalypse of Peter)

In the verse quoted above the word communion means fellowship not the Eucharist

2842. κοινωνία koinonia [koy-nohn-ee’-ah]; from 2844; partnership, i.e. (literally) participation, or (social) intercourse, or (pecuniary) benefaction: — (to) communicate(-ation), communion, (contri-)distribution, fellowship.

communion--Sharing the deep aspirations of our heart with the indwelling Father and hearing His "still small voice" (I Kings 19:12).

The Communion of Saints is the faith in a mystical bond uniting both the living and the dead in a confirmed hope and love

The communion of saints is the spiritual union of the members of the Christian Church, living and the dead. They are all part of a single "mystical body of Christ", with Jesus as the head.

What Is Fellowship?

The word comes from the idea of having a share as community in God’s gifts, from koinonia, a participation in. We share in God’s gift of grace (Phil.1:7); the gospel (1 Cor.9:23); the promise (Eph.3:6); the glory that shall be revealed (1 Peter 5:1); the Holy Spirit (2 Cor.13:14); the Divine nature (2 Pet.1:4); the fellowship of his Son Jesus Christ (Heb.3:14), and the body and blood of Christ (1 Cor.10:16)

Eph 3:9 And to make all men see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the world hath been hid in God, who created all things on account of Jesus Christ:

1Cor 1:9 God is faithful, by whom ye were called unto the fellowship of his Son Jesus Christ our Lord.

1Jo 1:7 But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.

How? - Where? - When?

Jesus said to the Samaritan woman: “Woman believe me, the hour cometh, when ye shall neither in this mountain, nor yet at Jerusalem, worship the Father ... but the hour cometh, and now is, when the TRUE WORSHIPPERS shall worship the Father in SPIRIT and in TRUTH: For the Father seeketh such to worship him” (John 4:21-23).

HOW? “In spirit and in truth.” Not by the self-imposed form of worship and false humility. See Colossians 2:21-23.

Jesus testified: “... for where two or three are gathered together IN MY NAME [in spirit], there am I in the midst of them” (Matthew 18:19-20).

WHERE? No particular place, but anywhere “two or more are gathered together in his name.”
Paul, in referring to the last supper (1 Corinthians 11:23-28) states in part:
“For as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes” (V. 26).

WHEN? “As often” (whenever: no specified time, but any and all times) just as long as it is done “in spirit and in truth.”

23 Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful. 24 And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works, 25 not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching. (Hebrews 10:23-25).

The statement: “Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together” is not a law, but an appeal. However, if we consider it as a command, this command is fully set by a brother performing in accordance with the preceding quotations.

Nowhere in the scriptures can be found where the Lord has granted the privilege, much less the right, to any man or group of men, to dictate to another brother how, where, or when he shall worship and commune with another brother, since it is a performance between them and their heavenly Father.

It is written “that no man is justified by THE LAW [much less a man-made law] in the sight of God ... for the just shall live by FAITH” (Galatians 3:11). “Do we then overthrow the law by this faith? By no means! On the contrary, we uphold the law.(Romans 3:31).

The Fellowship of the Spirit

Php 2:1 If there be therefore any consolation in Christ, if any comfort of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any bowels and mercies,

The fellowship of the spirit or with the spirit is a personal relationship with God is through the in dwelling of Christ in the believer

Colossians 1:27 To them God has chosen to make known among the Gentiles the glorious riches of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.

Our relationship with God is through the Lord Jesus Christ. We are united with God and with what God is doing in one body--the body of Christ, the church. Paul tells us in I Corinthians 12:13 that we are all baptized into one body by one Spirit. We are brought to the place of oneness, and now it is our responsibility in this love affair with God to express that oneness. To express the oneness of God means that we must enter into fellowship with the Lord Jesus Christ and the Father. This oneness is the proof that what God has done in Jesus Christ is eternal salvation. God said that He has made us one in Christ; now through spiritual fellowship we are brought to a place of expressing this oneness, as a testimony of the abiding presence of the Lord Jesus Christ. (Duncan Heaster)

All who accept of our Lord Jesus' one offering for all time are counted as sanctified and in consequence they have fellowship or communion with God. (Duncan Heaster)

"We are justified by faith." And "being justified by faith, we have peace with God" (Rom. 5:1), and are no longer esteemed by God as enemies, but as justified human sons,

This counted justification we realize through faith in God's Word, which says, Ye are "bought," "redeemed," "justified freely from all things." We stand in God's sight blameless, spotless and holy in the robes of Christ's righteousness imputed to us by faith. (Duncan Heaster)

Our sins he consented to have imputed to him, that he might bear our penalty for us; and he died on our behalf, as though he were the sinner. His righteousness is consequently imputed to all who accept of his redemption. It restores us to life and to fellowship with God. This fellowship we may have at once by the exercise of faith, and the eternal life of sharing the Divine nature are assured--in God's "due time." (Duncan Heaster)

The natural man cannot possibly understand the love of Christ, but the Spirit " in the inner man" can fully comprehend it (Eph. 3:16-19). This failure of the natural man to understand the things of the spirit is the basic reason for all division between genuine brethren. Time and again we are reminded of the fact that our fellowship with each other is due to the fact that we both have the spiritual man inside us (Eph. 2:18; 4:3,4; Phil. 1:27;2:1). (Duncan Heaster)

Whosoever believeth that Jesus is the Christ is born of God" (1 Jn. 5:1). Our spiritual man is what is born of God. All true believers are here spoken of as if they are their spiritual man. All true believers in Christ therefore have a spiritual man within them, which we must seek out, even imagine at times, and with which we should fellowship (Duncan Heaster)

Our spiritual man is not limited by the bonds of space. Thus Paul was bodily absent from Corinth, " but present in spirit" (1 Cor. 5:3), i.e. his spiritual man was present with them. It was the same with Colosse: " I be absent in the flesh, yet am I with you in the spirit" (Col. 2:5). When our spiritual man groans, Christ groans too in Heaven, an infinite distance away (Rom. 8:23 cp. 26). There is no time barrier, either. Thus our spiritual man is in close fellowship with " the spirits of just men made perfect" , having died many years ago (Heb. 12:23). This is the glorious unity of the Spirit; we are not just connected with all living saints, wherever they may be, but with the spiritual characters of all true saints throughout history. (Duncan Heaster)